The pre-flight walkaround is a critical safety procedure in aviation, serving as a pilot’s first line of defence against operational risk. Training for this task on a real aircraft is often limited by factors such weather conditions, aircraft availability, and the inability to replicate defects or hazards without risk and additional cost.
Cineon’s TACET Walkaround removes these barriers, delivering a high-fidelity, repeatable virtual environment where pilots can perform realistic pre-flight inspections anytime, anywhere – supported by objective, data-driven assessment of inspection competency.
The Challenge
Effective walkaround inspections rely on effective visual scanning, situational awareness, and the ability to recognise hazards under time pressure and in sometimes difficult environmental conditions. In real-world environments, instructors cannot safely introduce certain faults or hazards, and training quality can vary due to weather, lighting and time constraints. There is also a cost associated with grounding an aircraft and paying for trainees to travel to site.
These limitations make it difficult for training organisations and airlines to deliver standardised, competency-based assessment – particularly as the industry moves toward more evidence-based training frameworks.
How can VR, Eye-Tracking and AI improve walkaround training?
To overcome these challenges, Cineon developed TACET Walkaround as part of its flagship TACET platform. The solution places pilots inside a virtual aircraft environment, where they perform a full pre-flight inspection exactly as they would on the tarmac – but without the operational constraints. A 20-minute session in VR can be added on to their sim session at the training centre, savings costs on travel and having to take an aircraft out of action.
By utilising what VR does best, the simulation is completely configurable. Different weather types, lighting conditions and a variety of hazards can be selected for a training or assessment session. The system can show the trainee the route around the aircraft, highlighting all the inspection points and critical areas as they go before then empowering them to complete it on their own without aid. Compatible with any aircraft type, including the Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A321-Neo, TACET Walkaround can be adapted to support additional fleets, making it a scalable solution for airlines and training organisations.
Using in-built eye-tracking, TACET Walkaround captures where pilots look and whether they are taking in information efficiently. This data is analysed by Cineon’s Empathic Learning Engine (ELE) – our proprietary AI architecture that uses Eye Tracking data to objectively assess their visual inspection and situational awareness. Instructors can confidently sign off a training session knowing the trainee is sufficiently prepared for the real task.
TACET Walkaround in action
TACET Walkaround is the first CAA-approved VR training device for pre-flight inspections, allowing airlines to use it as an alternative means of compliance (AMC) for training and sign-off. Leading UK carrier Jet2.com has already deployed six VIVE Focus Vision headsets across its Manchester and Bradford training centres, becoming the first UK airline to adopt this VR solution.
What are the benefits of TACET Walkaround?
The adoption of TACET Walkaround delivers several benefits to the airline, ATO, trainee and instructor:
- Objective Assessment of Inspection Competency: Eye-tracking and emotion AI provide evidence-based insights into scanning behaviour, attention, and situational awareness—reducing subjectivity in assessment.
- Training Without Operational Constraints: Walkaround training is no longer limited by aircraft availability, weather conditions, or airport operations, enabling consistent, repeatable practice.
- Safe Simulation of Real-World Hazards: Defects and hazards that cannot be introduced in live environments can be safely replicated in VR, enhancing learning without risk.
- Scalable, Fleet-Flexible Deployment: Support for multiple aircraft types allows airlines and ATOs to standardise training across fleets.
- Regulatory and CBTA Alignment: CAA approval and objective performance metrics support regulatory compliance and the industry’s transition to competency-based training and assessment.
TACET Walkaround modernises one of aviation’s most fundamental safety procedures by combining immersive VR, eye-tracking, and emotion AI to deliver measurable, repeatable, and regulator-approved training.
As part of Cineon’s flagship TACET platform, it represents a significant step forward in how pilot competency is trained and assessed – helping airlines and training organisations enhance safety and standardisation.
